South Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 8, 2018

1. Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios Marker

Inscription. Constructed as the Shamrock Theater in 1915, this building was converted into Royal Recording Studios in 1957. Home of Hi Records and the Hi Rhythm Section, Royal grew from a minor rockabilly studio Into one of the most successful producers of soul music worldwide. Willie Mitchell (1928-2010) created the signature soul sound of Hi Records at Royal, a sound also exemplified by singers Ann Peebles, O.V. Wright, Otis Clay, Syl Johnson, and Al Green. Green's Let's Stay Together, recorded here, topped the charts of Billboard magazine in February 1972 Mitchell, who purchased Royal from Cream Records in 1984, collaborated with a wide spectrum of artists, Including Phineas Newborn, Jr., the Bill Black Combo, Ace Cannon, and Keith Richards.

Erected 2012 by the Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 4E 166.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Historical Commission series list. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1972.

Location. 35° 6.665′ N, 90° 2.615′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in South Memphis. It is on Willie Mitchell Boulevard

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north of Richmond Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1320 Willie Mitchell Boulevard, Memphis TN 38106, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

in the Mississippi Delta,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Birthplace of Aretha Franklin (approx. 0.4 miles away); Forrest's Artillery Positions (approx. half a mile away); Robert Karriem (approx. half a mile away); Dr. Joseph Edison Walker (approx. half a mile away); The University of West Tennessee (approx. half a mile away); People's Grocery (approx. 0.6 miles away); The 1960 Memphis Sit-In Movement (approx. 0.7 miles away); Second Congregational Church (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Memphis.

Also see . . . Wikipedia article on Willie Mitchell. (Submitted on April 15, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 8, 2018

2. Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 642 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 15, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.